Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2024: Scheme and Web Portal Launched

The awards aim to encourage good governance and recognize exceptional efforts that ensure qualitative achievement and last-mile connectivity, focusing on impacting citizens’ lives rather than meeting quantitative targets alone.

The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) officially launched the Scheme and Web Portal for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2024 on January 20, 2025, at 3:00 PM. The launch event, conducted virtually, was attended by senior officials from various Ministries, State Governments, and Union Territories, along with District Collectors and Magistrates nationwide. Key Details and Timeline:

• Portal Registration: Opened on January 20, 2025.
• Nomination Submission: Begins January 27, 2025.
• Deadline for Nominations: February 14, 2025.
• Eligibility Period: From April 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024.
• Awards: A total of 16 awards will be conferred across various categories.

Enhanced Vision Under PM Modi's Leadership

Since 2014, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the awards have undergone a transformational overhaul to prioritize constructive competition, innovation, replication of best practices, and institutionalization of effective governance mechanisms.

The awards aim to encourage good governance and recognize exceptional efforts that ensure qualitative achievement and last-mile connectivity, focusing on impacting citizens’ lives rather than meeting quantitative targets alone.

This year’s Holistic Development Category emphasizes the performance of District Collectors in achieving targeted individual beneficiaries and implementing a saturation approach. Applications will be evaluated based on Good Governance, Qualitative Excellence, and Quantitative Impact.

Special Focus on Aspirational Blocks

A unique category targets districts with Aspirational Blocks, encompassing 500 Aspirational Blocks across 329 districts under the Aspirational Blocks Programme. This initiative aims to foster development in the most underprivileged regions of India.

Evaluation and Awards Structure

The evaluation process involves three stages:

1. Shortlisting: Conducted by Screening Committees at two stages.
2. Expert Committee Review: A detailed assessment by domain experts.
3. Empowered Committee Recommendations: Final recommendations sent for the Prime Minister’s approval.

Each award includes:

• A Trophy.
• A Scroll of Honor.
• An incentive of ₹20 lakh to be utilized for welfare projects, resource gap bridging, or program implementation.

Increased Inclusivity and Participation

This year’s awards encourage universal participation from districts across India, ensuring representation and recognition for local governance excellence. Aspirational Districts are urged to actively participate to showcase transformative initiatives and innovations.

Objective: Inspiring Excellence

The Prime Minister’s Awards align with India’s governance vision to motivate districts to innovate, replicate best practices, and institutionalize impactful governance. By rewarding exemplary efforts, the scheme fosters an environment of constructive competition aimed at uplifting citizens' quality of life and creating replicable models of success.

This initiative reiterates the government's commitment to good governance, equitable development, and fostering a competitive spirit among districts to achieve India’s larger developmental goals.

For more details, stakeholders are encouraged to visit the official Prime Minister’s Awards Web Portal at www.pmawards.gov.in.